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Solving the Data Center Cooling Problem: Graphene Manufacturing Group

CEO.CA Jul 6, 2026 9:48

Summary

The pitch is manufacturing location, not chemistry: energy-saving graphene coatings already work, so growth depends on where they get made.

Guest Craig Nicol says cheap North American natural gas plus a 15% import tariff makes local production structurally cheaper than shipping from Australia.

Data centers are the first commercial target, with roughly 30% to 40% of the world's data centers in America per Nichol.

HVAC liquids distributor Nu-Calgon opens a North American channel, and the company counts more than 100 customer trials worldwide.

The gating item is regulatory: US EPA nanomaterial approval plus site selection, which Nichol frames as roughly a 12-month path.

Craig Nicol's takeaways

  • Top takeaway His central argument is that US manufacturing is GMG's key long-term outcome: he describes the company as an Australian North American one with a board split 50/50 by nationality, and says it eventually aims to have at least a majority of production in North America.
  • On timing, he expects the EPA decision within about a year and then site selection, county rules, property and build-out, calling these not terribly long tasks but clearly sequenced; he notes Canada is already approved and could be built first once production technology is scaled.
  • His cost thesis is that natural gas is GMG's largest cost and that cheap North American gas should translate into a structural overall lower cost to serve, which he links to producing close to customers.
  • He sizes the demand case on American data centers at roughly 30% to 40% of the world's total, expects that share to grow with large companies building more capacity, and says locally made product avoids the 15% tariff on Australian imports.
  • On execution he leans on channel partners and trials: he cites New Calgon as effectively the largest distributor of liquids for air conditioning equipment in North America and says more than 100 customer trials are underway, while arguing there is no real temptation for competitors to enter because the product is simple to make but took 10 years to develop and is supported by patents and service levels.